Had she heard wrong?!
Song Jiyun murmured to herself.
She picked out a Gourd Bottle and asked him, "What do you think of this one?"
Yuan Yunzhong nodded his head.
His easygoing manner, on the contrary, made Song Jiyun somewhat unsure of herself.
She looked at the remaining Gourd Bottles, hesitating over whether to choose another.
Yuan Yunzhong, already impatient, said, "Just this one will do. It’s just for the Hong Family to look at, not for firing the porcelain."
It seemed she had thought too much.
Song Jiyun smiled awkwardly and said, "Then let’s go with this one."
Yuan Yunzhong then pointed to a few other Gourd Bottles: "Pick the best one out of these."
Song Jiyun genuinely thought all of them were well-painted.
Yuan Yunzhong’s face darkened, and he said unhappily, "You’re not trying to fob me off, are you?"
Song Jiyun had no choice but to select the best of the best.
But the usually impatient Yuan Yunzhong suddenly seemed to put away his bristling attitude, not only accompanying her in choosing the Gourd Bottles but also commenting, "This leaf lacks spirit" and "The color of this dogwood fruit is somewhat pale."
Song Jiyun was secretly astonished.
Shao Qing, who came in carrying tea, paused mid-step when he saw this, and it took him a while to approach, wondering to himself: Why did this scene look so familiar?
Seeing Shao Qing, Yuan Yunzhong gave an order, "Go call a servant boy to deliver something to the Hong Family."
Shao Qing responded and realized.
Wasn’t this the scene he had witnessed at the Hong Family when he went there to protect the Young Master?
Back then, it was Hong Xi chatting and laughing with Miss Song while their Young Master stood by the window, his gaze deep and icy. From where he lay on the opposite roof, he could feel the chill emanating from their Young Master, cool and slicing.
"Okay!" he replied absentmindedly, then Song Jiyun stopped him.
"After all, he is the Eldest Young Master of the Hong Family," she said to Yuan Yunzhong. "I think it’s better to send someone who can speak with some authority. What do you think about Steward Wu?"
"Can he make decisions on his own behalf?" Yuan Yunzhong rejected the idea without thinking and said to Shao Qing, "Just call a servant boy. That’ll be fine."
The decision-maker of the Hong Family was the grandfather of Hong Xi.
"Alright then!" Song Jiyun smiled sheepishly, waited for Shao Qing to call the servant boy, gave him a few instructions, and then handed over the brocade box containing the Gourd Bottle to the servant boy, rising to take her leave.
This time, Yuan Yunzhong did not ask her to stay.
When she returned to her own courtyard, Zheng Quan had already come back, waiting for her in the hall.
"I’ve heard no word of the Eldest Young Master Hong being a child of the Concubine," he whispered. "But it’s true that he studied at the Crane Mountain Academy until this past June, when he took over the family business."
If the Hong Family wasn’t intentionally downplaying Hong Xi’s origins, then the news had not yet spread.
Song Jiyun could no longer concern herself with these matters; she had more pressing issues at hand.
"It’s said that the Imperial Kiln Factory is opening bids on the twenty-eighth of next month," she also whispered to Zheng Quan. "And Eunuch Wan wants to use the opportunity of having produced sweet white porcelain to get transferred back to the Capital City; he won’t spare any effort in giving gifts. If we send antiques and calligraphy as we have in previous years, I’m afraid it will not be enough to satisfy."
Zheng Quan was shocked but did not ask further, saying, "What would you like me to do, Miss?"
Song Jiyun took the seal her father had left and pondered, "You’ll go to the Silver House for me tonight and ask them to prepare two hundred gold ingots as quickly as possible."
Antiques and calligraphy, after all, were not as enticing as solid gold and silver.
Zheng Quan immediately agreed to go.
Song Jiyun spent a long time in her study, writing and drawing, before joining Madam Qian for dinner.
*
The next morning, Guo Zixing led several Store Managers and master craftsmen from the Kiln Factory over.
Song Jiyun met them in the hall where her father usually discussed matters.
Everyone took their seats according to their status, and after Nanny Zheng brought tea and snacks, she closed the doors of the hall.
The expressions of Guo Zixing and others tightened.
Sitting at the long table in the Main Hall, Song Jiyun took a leisurely sip of tea before she mentioned the bid opening at the Imperial Kiln Factory.
All were shocked, and Guo Zixing exclaimed, "How could that be? Wasn’t it said that nothing had been decided yet?"
As he spoke, he turned his eyes to Wong Dahai, who was sitting timidly at the lowest seat, and questioned him, "Didn’t you say Eunuch Wan told you nothing had been decided? You haven’t upset Eunuch Wan, have you?"
Wong Dahai was able to sit here precisely because he was able to accompany Eunuch Wan in entertainment.
Hearing this, he immediately stood up in fright and repeatedly assured Song Jiyun, "When I went to the Imperial Kiln Factory the other day, Eunuch Wan specifically spoke with me and asked about the sweet white porcelain. If Eunuch Wan disliked me, he would have talked to someone else."
There was no need for pretense.
Song Jiyun frowned. 𝓯𝓻𝓮𝙚𝙬𝓮𝙗𝒏𝙤𝒗𝙚𝙡.𝒄𝒐𝓶
"Then how come you don’t know when the bid will open?" Guo Zixing said discontentedly, "Or have you not been visiting the Imperial Kiln Factory frequently these days?"
Wong Dahai protested his innocence, saying, "The Imperial Kiln Factory doesn’t just open bidding on a whim. Before opening the bid, the Manufacturing Office must send over the number and designs of the items to be fired for the next year—and the Manufacturing Office hasn’t sent anyone to Liang County at all!"
He even swore to Song Jiyun, "I’ve had my two sons watch the docks day and night. If I’ve missed anything and messed up the Owner’s big plans, may I not die a good death!"
Embarrassed, everyone turned to look at Song Jiyun.
Song Jiyun believed Yuan Yunzhong wouldn’t make empty promises.
She believed Wong Dahai wouldn’t dare to lie.
Song Jiyun said, "I won’t go into details about who told me the news. After you go back, prepare for the bidding as usual."
After saying this, she didn’t forget to remind them, "I’ve just learned about this myself, so I hope everyone will keep it a secret."
Being able to know the news in advance allowed for better preparation.
Although the Song Family had won the bids for nearly ten years, one can never be too careful. The experienced people present all assured her in unison, "Miss Song, rest assured."
Song Jiyun then asked about the firing process of the sweet white porcelain.
Guo Zixing happily reported, "Following what Young Master Yuan said before, we are basically on the right track."
Song Jiyun was slightly stunned.
Talking about this matter, Guo Zixing was animated, "Young Master Yuan had us apply various glazes to the kiln, and based on the changes in these glazes and their positions, we can judge the kiln’s temperature, which is more reliable than spitting."
As he spoke, a look of pride flashed in his eyes. He said, "However, Young Master Yuan also said that talented people like me are rare, and most will have to use more simple methods. With Young Master Yuan’s technique, it’s easy to teach apprentices."
Song Jiyun was astonished.
She had not expected Yuan Yunzhong to have discussed these matters with Guo Zixing.
In her memory, he was a very proud person.
Or perhaps, she didn’t know him as well as she thought?
"That’s great!" Song Jiyun said with a smile to Guo Zixing, "Make a few more batches of sweet white porcelain, so Eunuch Wan has something to gift when the time comes."
Guo Zixing grinned and agreed, "Yes," and said, "Only the rich and noble receive gifts from Eunuch Wan. Although sweet white porcelain is good, it is still new, and if it can catch the eyes of these noble people, that would be great."
The group engaged in enthusiastic discussion about bidding and porcelain firing.
Zheng Quan tiptoed over and whispered in Song Jiyun’s ear, "Eldest Young Master Hong is here!"
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